Tag: activism

Love the idea of carrying out Random Acts of Kindness but stuck for ideas? An A-Z of Guerrilla Kindness might look something like this:

Action for Happiness – @actionhappiness helps people take practical action for a happier and more caring world. And guess what? Being kind makes you happy.

Bus Shelters – Bus shelters are the perfect places for random acts of kindness. East Lothian has its own tweeting bus shelter @PPansBusShelter where it is rumoured you may catch a glimpse of tiny people waiting for the 124. With a rather larger budget that the Prestonpans prankster, Pepsi created an amazing augmented reality stunt at a bus shelter:

Next time you’re going for a bus, why not leave a pair of gloves, a joke or a book…or a chair? The Guerrilla Upholsterer a.k.a. @mick_sheridan leaves beautifully restored chairs in bus shelters.

Change the World for a Fiver – Change the World for a Fiver is a book, priced at a £5, which is packed full of ideas on how to change the world for a better place. Buy two and give one to someone. Better still buy your copies from Hive, the network of independent bookshops.

Deeds – You’ve heard the expression, Actions speak louder than words. It’s true. Social Media makes it easy for us to say kind stuff, retweet kind stuff and like kind stuff but don’t forget to DO the kind stuff. (Having a Digital Detox every so often is really good for you and frees up some time too).

Flashmobs – A flashmob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then quickly disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, and artistic expression. Who can remember the Puffin Flashmob outside the National Gallery? Take a look at this Mannequin Mob…would something similar work in East Lothian?

Guerrilla Gardening – @guerillagarden Guerilla Gardening is the act of cultivating a neglected area. This could include setting up a community garden growing vegetables or planting up a neglected roadside verge with brightly coloured flowers. A side shoot is Incredible Edibles which includes projects in Dunbar.

Hugs – Free hugsis a social movement involving individuals who offer hugs to strangers in public places. You might not be entirely comfortable making physical contact with a stranger, but would this ball pit experiment work here?

Improv Everywhere –@ImprovEvery is a New York City-based prank collective that causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places. Check ’em out they’re freaking hilarious.

Jokes – Jokes, pranks, silliness, high jinx and tomfoolery – when good-humoured, and made with the intention to make the ‘victim’ laugh as much as the prankster – can really lift a person’s spirits. Take a look at these daft ‘memorial’ bench plaques. Cuthill Park in Prestonpans played a trick on locals when it announced the installation of a plaque to commemorate ‘physicist’ Avril Fish. Yes, it was an April Fool’s joke.

Kids – Free cakes for kids is a community service to families who find it difficult to provide a birthday cake for their child.

Little Free Library –Little Free Libraries build and install Little Free Libraries across the UK with the aim of increasing access to books for children, young people and their families. Find them on Twitter @LtlFreeLibrary. If you like this idea you will love the Athelstaneford Book Nook. On a similar vein is Bookcrossing. the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise. Why not leave a note inside a library book for a stranger to find.

Microfinance –@Kiva is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world. Learn more about how it works. Sign up here.

One Action – @takeoneaction is Scotland’s global action cinema project linking audiences, movies, campaigners and communities. See the change you want to be in the world!

Pay it Forward – if you’re lucky enough to be the recipient of kindness or good fortune, pay it forward. The vision for Pay it Forward UK is to assist people to have the opportunity to give to others – particularly those less fortunate than themselves. One good deed might not seem like much, but if everyone did something good for someone else, then the cycle of generosity and kindness can help us to become better people. @PayitForwardDay is on April 28th this year. East Lothian charity, Walk With Scott Foundation has raised over £215,000 and supported 31 charities over the past 5 years.

Subtervising & Stickering – @WeFixYourAdvert are ‘improving’ certain prominent adverts in their own sassy way. Although technically illegal, a similar guerrilla stickering campaign on the London Underground has brightened up many a commuter’s morning. Make Magazine produced a series of stickers which could be stuck on some products in toy stores to highlight how playtime is becoming an endangered activity.

#ThisIsThoughtful – @Thtfl is a magazine, studio & creative community on a design-driven mission. Read about their Penny for your Thoughts project here. #ThisIsThoughtful is a little experiment…

Urbanism -It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that big cities and towns and unfriendly, uncaring places and wee villages have a wonderful sense of community. A group of North Carolina residents mounted walkable direction signs around their town. What changes would you make to your town to make East Lothian a wee bit more pleasant for residents and visitors? Public bike pumps? Vegetable vending machines? Check out some of the improvements that three designers made in Paris. If you want proof that cities can be caring places, read these examples. Better still, be the example.

Voice-activated – You know how it is, you have a new label maker, you’re feeling a bit mischievous and next thing you know, there are confused shoppers trying to operate a ‘voice activated’ trolley. No? Just me then. Also works well on doors and hand dryers. Have fun.

Weird and Wonderful – Using materials found in the local environment and some basic artist supplies such as clay and paint, Mark Buckman crafted unique quirky pieces and placed them back on the Littlehampton beach where he had found them for beach visitors to discover. Perhaps you’ll find something at Dunbar’s Stone Stacking Championships in April 2018….

X – X is for Crossing -Would Remi Gaillard’s famous prank work in East Lothian? And where should we carry it out?

Yarnbombing and craftivism – Crafty members of @musselburgh2016 decorated the Honest Toun with all sorts of creations to foster interest in the Riding of the Marches – and kept on going. You can see their work on Twitter.

Zzzzz – that’s it.

Be kind to everyone you meet, not because of who they are but because of who you are!